News24.com | Cape Town to send mobile housing office to Woodlands after protests

June 18, 2018Silas Weatherspoon

The City of Cape Town has promised to take a mobile housing office to Woodlands in Mitchells Plain and to investigate public lighting and traffic safety concerns that were raised following violent protests last week, a councillor said on Friday.

“I would like to reiterate that the City is committed to service delivery and engaging with communities to address legitimate service delivery concerns,” said councillor Eddie Andrews, mayoral committee member for the area that the protests occurred in.

This followed demonstrations on Monday morning near the intersection of Eros Way and Eisleben Road and the removal of a group of people who had erected structures on vacant land.

On Monday afternoon, during a tense standoff between demonstrators and police, shots were fired towards the police. The police condemned this, blaming a “gang element” that had crept into the protests.

Later on Monday a number of businesses, including an AutoZone, a BP petrol station, a Pick ‘n Pay Express and a fish shop were vandalised. Some businesses were looted.

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Andrews said in a statement that a community meeting was held on Tuesday night, where the violence, which he said was linked to attempts to “illegally invade City-owned land” was “roundly” condemned.

At the meeting it was resolved that a City of Cape Town MyEstate mobile housing office would be set up in Woodlands to help residents register or update their details on the City‘s housing database. The feasibility of public lighting for Eros Way will also be investigated, as will the feasibility of traffic calming measures on the road.

The MyEstate mobile service was launched in December 2017 to fill the gap left by the closure of some satellite offices, according to the City‘s launch announcement earlier this year.

This move follows a statement earlier this week by member of the mayoral committee for safety JP Smith that protests in the province had spiked by 73% since the beginning of the year.

The South African Human Rights Commission is also planning follow-up meetings next week to the areas that were hit by protests.